The Forty Hours Devotion is a special forty-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition. At the heart of the Forty Hours of Devotion is the Holy Eucharist, the very Real and True Presence of God Himself.

The celebration of Forty Hours Devotion in every region of the Diocese of Arlington is part of the Diocesan-wide preparation for the Golden Jubilee in 2024. 

The Forty Hours Devotion will begin on August 24 4:30pm after the Exposition and will conclude at 8:30am on August 26.

Mass | 4:30pm | in Main Church
(The Exposition will follow after)

In the Diocese of Arlington, Forty Hours was widely celebrated following the establishment of the diocese in 1974 and has remained an important devotion in many parishes.  The faithful of our Diocese are encouraged to participate in their parish’s Forty Hours Devotion and in those of other parishes, spending time in prayer before the Eucharistic Lord, who can and will help us in our every need. The number forty has always signified a sacred period of time:  the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry.  The 40 Hours Devotion remembers that traditional “forty-hour period” from our Lord’s burial until the resurrection…

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In the Diocese of Arlington, Forty Hours was widely celebrated following the establishment of the diocese in 1974 and has remained an important devotion in many parishes.  The faithful of our Diocese are encouraged to participate in their parish’s Forty Hours Devotion and in those of other parishes, spending time in prayer before the Eucharistic Lord, who can and will help us in our every need.

The number forty has always signified a sacred period of time:  the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry.  The 40 Hours Devotion remembers that traditional “forty-hour period” from our Lord’s burial until the resurrection. 

The Forty Hours Devotion begins with a Solemn Mass of Exposition, which concludes with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and a procession.  The Blessed Sacrament remains on the altar in a monstrance.  During the next 40 hours, the faithful gather for personal or public prayer in adoration of our Lord. 
While the Forty Hours Devotion nurtures the love of the faithful for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, three special dimensions have also surrounded this devotion: 

– the protection from evil and temptation.
– reparation for our own sins and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
– deliverance from political, material, or spiritual calamities.  

Here the faithful implore our Lord to pour forth His abundant graces not only for themselves, but their neighbors, not only for their own personal needs, but for those of the world.

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© 2024 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton | Lake Ridge, VA